ft      '  -.JiaSsLs^'^.          r\LJ       *  j  .%    .?  •&£.]       ^ .  ^-ali,;  / 


"  <%    University  of  Illinois 


Library  at 
Urbana-Champaign 


^rl/~ 


UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS  AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 

The  person  charging  this  material  is  responsible  for  its 

renewal  or  return  to  the  library  on  or  before  the  due 

date.  The  minimum  fee  for  a  lost  item  is  $125.00, 

$300.00  for  bound  journals. 

Theft,  mutilation,  and  underlining  of  books  are  reasons        y 

for  disciplinary  action  and  may  result  in  dismissal  from 

the  University.  Please  note:  self-stick  notes  may  result 

in  torn  pages  and  lift  some  inks. 

Renew  via  the  Telephone  Center  at  217-333-8400, 

846-262-1510  (toll-free)  orcirclib@uiuc.edu. 

Renew  online  by  choosing  the  My  Account  option  at: 

http://www.library.uiuc.edu/catalog/ 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


BULLETIN  No.  109 


THE  LOCATION,  CONSTRUCTION  AND 
OPERATION  OF  HOG  HOUSES 


BY  WILLIAM  DIETRICH 


URBANA,  JUNE,  1906 


SUMMARY  OF  BULLETIN  No.    109 

1.  A  hog  house  should  be  located  so  that  it  is  well  drained,  well  lighted,  and 
gives  access  to  pasture,  good  shade,  pure  running  water  and  clean  mud  wallows. 

Page  287 

2.  The  two  principal  kinds  of  hog  houses  are  the  individual  houses  and  the 
large  houses  with  individual  pens.    Each  has  its  points  of  advantage. 

Page  288 

3.  For  sanitation  the  building  should  be  constructed  so  that  it  is  dry,  venti- 
lated, free  from  dust  and  drafts  and  so  that  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  fall  upon 
the  floor  of  the  pens  at  the  time  the  winter  crop  of  pigs  is  farrowed.    These  rays 
should  also  be  excluded  during  the  summer.  Page  291 

4.  The  building  should  be  made  serviceable  by  being  built  so  that  it  can  be 
used  every  day  in  the  year  and  be  arranged  so  that  the  largest  amount  of  work 
may  be  performed  with  the  smallest  amount  of  labor.  Page  293 

5.  For  large  houses  gates  and  partitions  made  of  wire  are  best  because  they 
do  not  obstruct  the  light  and  heat  rays  frpm  the  sun,  do  not  hide  the  pigs  from 
view  of  the  attendant,  nor  from  each  other,  and  do  not  furnish  lodgment  for  dis- 
ease germs.  Page  296 

6.  The  large  hog  house  is  operated  so  that  two  litters  per  year  are  farrowed 
and  grown  for  market  and  so  that  the  pigs  are  put  on  the  market  at  the  most 
favorable  season.  Page  301 


THE  LOCATION,  CONSTRUCTION  AND 
OPERATION  OF  HOG  HOUSES 

By  WILLIAM  DIETRICH,  Assistant  in  Swine  Husbandry 

INTRODUCTION 

In  order  to  grow  swine  most  successfully  in  a  country  with  a 
cold  or  varied  climate,  it  is  necessary  to  have  some  kind  of  a  hog 
house.  The. question  that  first  presents  itself  is  what  kind  shall  it  be  ? 
In  studying  the  swine  industry  from  the  market  standpoint  and  from 
the  breeder's  standpoint,  it  appears  that  for  greatest  success  in  the 
swine  business,  it  is  desirable  to  produce  two  litters  a  year  from  ma- 
ture sows  and  to  have  these  farrowed  so  that  they  can  be  put  on 
the  market  at  the  most  favorable  time. 

In  the  following  pages  is  given  a  general  discussion  of  the  loca- 
tion and  construction  of  hog  houses  and  a  detailed  description  and 
method  of  operation  of  a  hog  house  that  has  recently  been  planned 
and  built  at  the  Illinois  Experiment  Station  to  meet  the  requirements 
as  outlined  above. 

LOCATION 

The  proper  location  of  a  hog  house  or  shelter  of  any  kind  for 
swine  is  one  of  the  first  essentials  to  success  in  swine  husbandry. 

In  providing  shelter  for  swine,  as  well  as  for  other  classes  of  live 
stock,  surroundings  should  be  furnished  that  conform  as  near  to  na- 
ture as  the  improved  condition  of  the  animals  and  circumstances  of 
the  owner  will  permit.  Swine  in  the  wild  state  inhabit  the  forest 
where  shade,  water,  protection  from  cold  winds  and  natural  soil  are 
abundant,  and  where  they  may  select  dry  or  damp  localities  as  they 
please.  The  best  surroundings,  then,  for  swine  are  those  that  will 
satisfy  their  natural  desires,  but  so  modified  and  improved  as  to  pro- 
mote the  largest  financial  results. 

The  best  location  for  a  hog  house,  therefore,  is  one  that  is  well 
drained  and  well  lighted,  and  one  that  will  permit  access  to  pasture, 
to  good  shade  and  to  a  stream  of  running  water  that  is  free  from  dis- 
ease germs,  where  also  there  are  opportunities  for  making  wallows 
in  clean  mud. 

If  the  building  can  be  placed  on  a  sandy  or  gravelly  soil  it  will 
afford  better  drainage  than  a  clay,  silt,  or  peaty  soil  would  furnish 

287 


288  BULLETIN  No.  109.  [June, 

Light  and  shade  are  desirable  for  reasons  that  are  apparent  to  every- 
one. Pasture  should  be  accessible  as  considerable  food  is  obtained 
from  the  soil  in  the  form  of  roots,  worms  and  insects,  as  well  as 
many  materials  that  are  not  foods,  but  are  necessary  to  the  health  of 
the  pigs.  A  limestone  soil  is  preferable  because  the  water  from  such 
a  soil  as  well  as  the  soil  and  stone  themselves,  furnish  the  lime  that 
is  so  essential  in  building  up  bone.  A  rolling  pasture  is  preferable 
because  it  furnishes  better  drainage  and  a  form  of  exercise  that  is 
conducive  to  the  production  of  a  large  percentage  of  lean  meat.  It 
also  tends  to  produce  strong  legs  with  upright  pasterns,  which,  from 
the  breeder's  standpoint,  are  among  the  first  essentials  of  a  good  hog. 
A  stream  of  pure  running  water  is  desirable,  for  then  drinking 
water  in  the  best  form  will  be  available  at  all  times  and  will  be  more 
wholesome  than  it  would  be  were  it  supplied  in  a  trough  where  it  is 
bound  to  become  more  or  less  warm,  stagnant  and  foul.  If  there  is 
no  natural  stream  at  hand  water  pumped  from  a  well  by  a  windmill 
or  other  motive  power  will  supply  the  need.  A  clean  mud  wallow 
is  enjoyed  more  by  swine  in  the  summer  time  than  any  one  other 
condition  that  may  be  furnished  them.  It  keeps  them  cool,  destroys 
lice  and  keeps  the  skin  in  a  good  healthy  condition. 

TYPES  OF  HOG  HOUSES 

The  two  general  classes  of  hog  houses  most  in  use  are  individual 
houses  and  large  houses  with  individual  pens.  A  hog  house  that 
is  best  for  one  man  under  his  conditions  and  manner  of  handling 
swine,  may  not  be  best  for  another  where  the  conditions  and  manner 
of  handling  differ.  This  difference  is  due  to  the  originality  of  dif- 
ferent breeders  who  have  solved  the  problem  in  regard  to  hog  houses 
to  suit  their  individual  tastes  and  conveniences. 

INDIVIDUAL  HOUSES 

Individual  hog  houses,  or  cots,  as  they  are  sometimes  called,  are 
built  in  many  different  ways.  Some  are  built  with  four  upright 
walls  and  a  shed  roof,  each  of  which  (the  walls  and  roof)  being  a 
separate  piece  can  easily  be  taken  down  and  replaced,  making  the 
moving  of  these  small  houses  or  cots  an  easy  matter.  This  is  shown 
by  Figs,  i  and  la,  page  289.  Others  are  built  with  two  sides  sloping 
in  toward  the  top  so  as  to  form  the  roof  as  in  Fig.  2,  page  290. 
These  are  built  on  skids  and  when  necessary  can  be  moved  as  a 
whole  by  being  drawn  by  a  horse.  They  are  built  in  several  different 
styles;  some  have  a  window  in  the  front  end  above  the  door  while 
all  may  have  a  small  door  in  the  rear  end  near  the  apex  for  ventilat- 


1906. 


HOG  HOUSES. 


289 


FIG.  1. — INDIVIDUAL  HOG  HOUSE.  (SET  UP.) 


FIG. la — INDIVIDUAL  HOG  HOUSE.  (TAKEN  DOWN.) 


290 


BULLETIN  No.  109. 


[June, 


FIG.  2.— INDIVIDUAL  HOG  HOUSE. 


ing  purposes.  They  are  also  built  in  different  sizes.  Indeed,  there 
are  about  as  many  forms  of  cots  as  there  are  individuals  using  them. 
The  form  in  which  these  houses  or  cots  are  built  is  of  little  signifi- 
cance as  long  as  the  general  principles  pertaining  to  the  health  of 
the  animals  and  the  convenience  of  the  breeder  are  observed. 

The  arguments  in  favor  of  this  type  of  houses  for  swine  are  that 
each  sow  at  farrowing  time  may  be  kept  alone  and  away  from  all 
disturbance ;  that  each  litter  of  pigs  may  be  kept  and  fed  by  itself, 
consequently  there  will  not  be  too  large  a  number  of  pigs  in  a  com- 
mon lot ;  that  these  houses  may  be  placed  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
feed  lot,  thus  compelling  the  sow  and  pigs  to  take  exercise,  especially 
in  winter,  when  they  come  to  the  feed  trough  at  the  front  end  of  the 
lot;  that  the  danger  of  spreading  disease  among  the  herd  is  at  a 
minimum ;  and  in  case  the  place  occupied  by  the  cot  becomes  unsan- 
itary, it  may  be  moved  to  a  clean  location. 


HOG  HOUSES.  291 

LARGE  HOUSES 

Although  individual  houses  have  certain  characteristics  or  ad- 
vantages in  their  favor,  large  houses,  if  properly  built,  also  have 
some  points  of  advantage  and  these  are  good  sanitation,  service- 
ability, safety  in  farrowing,  ease  in  handling  hogs,  and  large  pas- 
tures, involving  little  expense  for  fences. 

Sanitation : — In  order  to  be  sanitary  a  hog  house  should  admit 
the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  to  the  floor  of  all  the  pens  and  exclude  cold 
drafts  in  winter,  be  dry,  free  from  dust,  well  ventilated  and  exclude 
the  hot  sun  during  the  summer. 

Fig.  3,  page  292,  shows  a  hog  house  built  with  this  purpose  in 
view.  The  building  as  a  whole  is  30  feet  wide  with  an  8-foot  alley 
running  lengthwise  through  the  middle,  between  two  rows  of  pens. 
It  stands  lengthwise  east  and  west  with  the  windows  on  the  south 
side.  The  important  factor  to  consider  in  this  connection  is  the 
height  of  the  windows  represented  at  E  and  D  in  connection  with 
the  width  and  manner  of  construction  of  the  building.  The  window 
E  is  so  placed  that  at  noon  of  the  shortest  day  of  the  year,  the  ray 
of  light  which  passes  through  the  upper  part  will  fall  upon  the  floor 
of  the  south  side  pen  on  the  opposite  side  from  the  window.  This 
allows  the  total  amount  of  light  coming  through  the  window  at  this 
season  of  the  year  and  this  time  of  the  day  to  fall  upon  the  floor 
within  the  pen.  In  the  morning  and  in  the  afternoon  when  the  sun 
is  not  at  its  highest  point,  a  part  or  all  of  this  beam  of  light  will  pass 
beyond  the  pen.  Consequently,  during  the  latter  winter  months, 
there  will  be  a  maximum  amount  of  sunlight  on  the  floor  of  the  pen. 

The  lower  part  of  the  window  D  in  the  upper  part  of  the  building 
performs  the  same  function  for  the  pen  on  the  north  side  of  the 
alley  as  does  the  window  E  for  the  pen  on  the  south  side. 

By  this  arrangement  of  windows  there  is  possible  a  maximum 
amount  of  sunlight  on  the  floor  of  the  pens  in  winter  which  will 
serve  to  warm  the  interior  of  the  house  and  especially  the  beds  dur- 
ing the  latter  months  of  winter,  thus  making  it  possible  to  have  pigs 
farrowed  very  early  in  the  season.  Sunlight  not  only  warms  and 
dries  the  building,  but  destroys  disease  germs,  thus  making  the  build- 
ing both  warm  and  sanitary.  Sanitation  is  further  augmented  by 
the  upper  part  of  the  window  D  which,  when  open,  acts  as  a  ven- 
tilator. It  is  supplied  with  weights  so  that  it  can  be  opened  and 
closed  at  will  by  the  attendant  while  standing  on  the  floor  of  the 
alley. 

To  have  this  arrangement  of  windows  in  the  latitude  above  cited, 
it  is  necessary  to  have  the  top  of  the  window  E,  which  throws  light 


292 


BULLETIN  No.  109. 


1906.  ]  HOG  HOUSES.  293 

into  the  pen  on  the  south  side,  5  feet  6  inches  from  the  floor.  The 
upper  window,  which  throws  light  into  the  pen  on  the  north  side,  is 
longer,  but  a  point  in  this  window  the  same  distance  above  the  lower 
end  as  the  height  of  the  window  E  should  be  9  feet  8  inches  from  the 
floor.  This  necessitates  a  flat  roof  for  the  part  of  the  building  south 
of  the  alley,  which  must  necessarily  be  made  of  some  material  that 
will  shed  water  at  a  slight  pitch.  The  wall  on  the  north  side  of  the 
building  is  made  as  high  as  that  on  the  south  side,  but  the  roof  on 
the  north  side  and  alley  is  made  steeper  so  as  to  have  more  air  space 
and  good  ventilation.  This  part  of  the  roof,  then  may  be  made  of 
shingles. 

Dryness  should  be  furnished  by  thorough  drainage;  freedom 
from  dust  by  sprinkling  with  water  and  the  rays  of  direct  sunlight 
should  be  prevented  from  entering  the  pens  during  the  hot  part  of 
the  summer  days,  which  in  the  above  mentioned  hog  house  is  done 
by  the  manner  of  construction  of  the  building ;  the  lower  window  be- 
ing shaded  by  the  eaves  and  the  rays  passing  through  the  upper 
window  fall  upon  the  floor  of  the  alley. 

Serviceability : — In  order  to  be  most  serviceable,  a  hog  house 
should  be  constructed  so  that  it  can  be  used  every  day  in  the  year. 
If  this  can  be  done,  it  is  permissible  to  spend  more  money  in  the 
construction  than  would  be  warranted  were  the  building  to  be  used 
only  a  few  months  during  the  year.  In  order  to  be  an  economizer  of 
labor,  the  house  should  be  planned  so  that  the  largest  amount  of 
work  may  be  performed  with  the  smallest  amount  of  labor,  which 
with  the  present  scarcity  of  labor  is  a  very  important  factor. 

Farrowing  and  Handling : — Farrowing  pens  should  be  supplied 
with  the  fenders  which  prevent  the  sows  crushing  the  pigs  and 
should  be  built  so  that  the  attendant  may  lend  assistance  if  necessary 
both  with  convenience  and  safety.  By  having  all  the  hogs  under 
one  roof  handling  becomes  simpler  and  in  case  of  bad  weather  much 
more  convenient. 

An  argument  that  has  been  advanced  against  the  large  hog  house 
is  that  by  having  a  large  number  of  brood  sows  in  such  close  prox- 
imity to  each  other,  if  one  is  disturbed  or  molested  in  any  way  all 
the  others  will  become  fretful  and  when  feeding  is  commenced  at 
one  end  all  the  rest  will  become  uneasy  and  injure  their  litters.  This 
argument  may  hold  where  the  partitions  are  solid  board  fences,  but 
by  the  arrangement  described  in  the  following  pages,  the  sows  can 
see  each  other  and  see  what  is  going  on  about  them,  and  not  being 
strange  to  each  other  nor  the  attendant,  will  not  be  disturbed  to  so 
great  an  extent.  If  the  feeding  is  done  regularly  and  in  the  same 
order  each  day,  the  sows  or  pigs  soon  become  accustomed  to  the  sys- 


294  BULLETIN  No.  109.  [June, 

tern  and  wait  patiently  for  their  turn.  Furthermore,  by  this  arrange- 
ment of  wire  partitions  the  little  pigs  are  more  easily  tamed  and  will 
do  better  because  they  will  not  become  frightened  every  time  a  per- 
son passes  the  pen. 

Pastures : — By  having  a  large  hog  house  the  hogs  can  be  kept 
together  and  allowed  to  go  in  a  drove  from  the  hog  house  to  the 
pasture  or  to  any  other  available  field  on  the  farm  and  with  very  little 
training  each  sow  with  her  litter,  will  return  to  her  own  pen  at  night 
thus  necessitating  few  pastures. 

PLAN  AND  CONSTRUCTION 

In  Fig.  4,  page  295,  is  submitted  the  ground  plan  of  the  hog  house 
which  is  shown  in  Fig.  3.  It  is  120  feet  long  by  30  feet  wide  and  is 
represented  in  the  Figure  by  O,  S,  T,  U.  X,  Y  is  the  alley  which 
runs  lengthwise  through  the  middle  of  the  building  and  is  8  feet 
wide.  This  permits  of  driving  through  the  building  with  a  wagon, 
which  allows  the  feed  and  bedding  to  be  hauled  in  where  it  is  needed 
and  the  manure  to  be  loaded  on  the  wagon  directly  from  the  pens 
and  hauled  to  the  fields. 

The  doors  at  either  end  of  the  building  and  one  across  the  alley 
shutting  off  the  pigs  from  the  rest  of  the  building  are  shown  by  R. 
The  pens  A  are  10  feet  wide  and  n  feet  deep.  Each  pen  has  a 
doorway  M  leading  to  the  outside  which  is  opened  by  a  door  sliding 
upwards.  There  is  also  a  door  N  opening  to  the  alley  on  the  inside. 
This  door  is  hung  so  that  when  it  is  open  it  will  turn  the  pigs  toward 
the  front  end  of  the  house  where  they  are  to  be  weighed.  It  also 
permits  of  changing  pigs  from  any  one  pen  to  any  other  pen  and  of 
easy  access  for  the  attendant.  L  represents  the  trough  which  is 
placed  on  the  side  of  the  pen  next  to  the  alley  and  which  with  the 
arrangement  of  a  swinging  panel  above  this  trough  as  is  shown  in 
Fig.  5,  page  297,  makes  feeding  a  very  easy  and  convenient  opera- 
tion. The  fender  in  the  pen  is  shown  by  K  in  Fig.  4.  This  consists 
of  a  2-inch  tubular  iron  bar  placed  on  iron  posts  of  the  same  dimen- 
sion and  set  in  concrete  in  the  floor.  This  bar  is  placed  8  or  9  inches 
above  the  floor  and  about  6  inches  from  the  wall  and  is  to  prevent 
the  sows  crushing  the  pigs  at  farrowing  time.  The  sow  will  neces- 
sarily make  her  bed  in  this  corner  as  the  other  three  corners  are 
occupied,  two  of  which  have  doors  and  the  other  the  feed  trough. 

D,  in  Fig.  4,  shows  the  platform  scale  on  which  the  pigs  are  to  be 
weighed  as  desired.  This  scale  is  fitted  with  a  frame  and  the  door 
on  the  side  next  to  the  alley  shown  at  Q,  opens  so  that  when  the 
pigs  come  down  the  alley,  it  will  facilitate  turning  them  upon  the 


1906.] 


HOG  HOUSES. 


295 


WEST 


A' 


1 
1 

1 
1 

H 
J 
1    . 
1 

A' 

1 
1 
1 
1 
1 

M 
A' 

1 
1 

H 
1 

1 

A' 

i 

1 

"1 

J 

1 

A' 

1 
H 

>! 

A' 

if 

H 

J 

A' 

1 

1 

M 
A' 

1 
J 
i 

I 

A' 

i 
1 

P" 

A' 


A' 


A' 


A' 


A' 


EAST 
FIG.  4.— LARGE  HOG  HOUSE.— GROUND  PLAN. 


_J 


296  BULLETIN  No.  109.  [June, 

scales.  At  the  other  end  of  the  scale  platform  is  a  smaller  door  in 
the  frame  which  opens  through  a  door  P,  of  the  building,  thus  al- 
lowing the  pigs  to  pass  from  the  scale  room  directly  to  the  outside 
where  there  may  be  a  loading  chute  leading  to  a  wagon. 

F  is  the  feed-mixing-room  in  which  are  feed  bins  for  feeds  of 
various  kinds  represented  by  I.  There  is  also  a  door,  J,  leading  to 
the  outside  from  this  room.  H  shows  the  hydrant  from  which  water 
is  obtained  for  mixing  slops,  watering  hogs,  and  for  attaching  the 
hose  to  sprinkle  the  floors.  E  shows  the  stove  that  is  used  for  heat- 
ing water  in  winter  for  mixing  slops. 

G  shows  the  office,  and  C  the  feed  bins  in  which  the  feed  is  stored 
as  it  is  hauled  to  the  hog  house.  The  opening  to  these  feed  bins  is 
from  the  main  alley  of  the  hog  house  from  which  they  are  filled 
directly  from  the  wagon  as  the  feed  is  brought  in.  The  feed  is  then 
taken  out  in  smaller  quantities  as  needed  and  put  into  the  small  bins 
in  the  feed-mixing-room  from  which  it  is  weighed  out  to  the  pigs  at 
feeding  time. 

B  shows  an  alley  which  leads  through  the  door,  T,  to  the  yard 
V  on  the  outside.  Opposite  this  is  the  yard  Z.  These  two  yards  are 
not  connected  with  pens  on  the  inside  of  the  building  but  are  used  as 
boar  pens  and  are  supplied  with  separate  cots  and  feed  troughs  on 
the  outside.  The  rest  of  the  pens  on  the  outside  shown  in  the  cut 
as  A'  are  of  the  same  width  as  the  pens  inside  and  are  28  feet  long. 
They  are  connected  with  the  pens  on  the  inside  by  means  of  the  doors 
above  mentioned,  the  outer  end  opening  to  the  lane  which  leads  to 
the  pastures.  The  partitions  between  these  pens  on  the  outside  are 
made  of  two  lengths  of  common  fencing,  one  16  feet  and  the  other 
12  feet  long.  The  1 2-foot  length  is  next  to  the  building  and  may 
be  made  into  a  gate  so  that  it  will  swing.  By  opening  all  these  gates 
and  swinging  them  one  way,  and  away  from  the  building,  an  alley 
is  made  along  the  outside  of  the  building  in  case  it  is  not  desirable 
to  use  the  alley  in  the  building  for  taking  out  the  manure.  But  this 
is  not  so  convenient  as  driving  through  the  alley  on  the  inside. 

There  is  a  4-inch  drain  tile  laid  from  each  pen  in  the  building  to 
the  ma'n  lines  on  either  side,  which  are  placed  on  the  outside  of  the 
pens,  leading  off  down  the  ravine.  The  tile  opens  up  through  the 
floor  of  the  pen  by  means  of  a  perforated  iron  disk  which  is  laid  in 
the  bell  end  of  a  length  of  sewer  pipe.  The  floor  is  made  to  slope 
toward  the  drain  so  that  it  can  be  flushed  with  water. 

Fig.  5,  page  297,  shows  the  interior  section  of  the  hog  house  con- 
taining the  pens.  All  the  gates  and  partitions  on  the  interior,  as 
will  be  seen  from  the  cut,  are  made  of  wire  netting  pinels.  \Yire 


woe.  \ 


HOG  HOUSES. 


297 


298  BULLETIN  No.  109.  [June, 

is  considered  better  for  this  purpose  than  lumber  for  several  reasons 
as  follows. 

1 i )  There  are  no  obstructions  to  light.    The  rays  of  light  com- 
ing through  the  windows  are  not  prevented  from  reaching  the  floor 
where  they  are  most  needed ;  they  keep  the  floor  or  bed  in  which  the 
pigs  sleep  dry,  warm  and  disinfected. 

(2)  By  this  means  there  is  no  opportunity  for  disease  germs  to 
lodge  in  cracks  and  crevices  or  to  be  harbored  in  the  shadow  of  solid 
fences.     In  case  the  hog  house  should  ever  become  infected  with 
disease  germs  of  any  kind  it  can  be  disinfected  much  more  easily 
and  thoroughly. 

(3)  Wire  partitions  allow  the  hogs  always  to  be  within  sight 
of  each  other  and  of  the  attendant.    By  this  means  the  sows,  when 
they  are  shut  up  to  farrow  will  not  become  estranged  from  one  an- 
other, and  will  not  be  so  likely  to  fight  after  returning  to  a  common 
pasture. 

Part  of  the  floor  of  the  hog  house  is  made  of  hard  brick,  laid  on 
side  in  the  pens  and  laid  on  edge  in  the  alley;  the  remainder  is  of 
cement.  Lumber  is  not  used,  because,  being  necessarily  laid  on  the 
ground  to  prevent  cold  air  or  cold  drafts  getting  beneath  the  floor, 
it  would  rot  out  too  quickly,  making  it  very  expensive.  Brick  is 
thought  to  be  a  little  warmer  in  winter  than  cement  and  not  so  slip- 
pery but  both  are  being  tried.  Brick,  of  course,  is  colder  in  winter 
than  is  lumber,  but  this  can  be  obviated  by  using  bedding  or  by  mak- 
ing an  overlay  (portable  floor)  of  I  inch  lumber  for  the  corner  of 
the  pen  where  the  bed  is  made. 

COST  OF  HOG  HOUSE 

The  hog  house  is  divided  into  unit  lengths  of  ten  feet  each ;  this 
being  the  dimension  of  the  pens  parallel  to  the  long  dimension  of 
the  building. 

Where  there  is  proper  drainage,  an  earth  floor  is  probably  the 
best  kind  of  a  floor  in  a  hog  house  although  it  is  a  little  harder  to 
keep  in  repair.  Therefore,  by  omitting  the  floor,  tile  drain  and  eave 
troughs,  the  building  still  contains  all  the  essential  features  and 
costs  approximately  $122.00  per  unit  length  of  ten  feet  which  con- 
tains two  pens.  If  tht  carpenter  work  and  painting  can  be  done 
with  the  regular  farm  help  at  odd  times  when  there  is  no  other  em- 
ployment at  hand,  the  building  can  be  constructed  for  approximately 
$100  per  unit  length  of  ten  feet.  This  includes  the  labor  as  well  as 
the  material  on  the  tar-and-gravel  roof,  which  is  the  flat  roof  on  the 
part  of  the  building  south  of  the  alley,  a  two  foot  brick  wall  under- 
neath the  structure  and  the  iron  posts,  gates,  panels  and  fenders 
which  cost  at  the  rate  of  $13.60  per  pen. 


1906. ]                                          HOG  HOUSES.  299 

The  cost  of  the  hog  house  with  all  the  accessories  as  outlined 
above  is  as  follows : 

Foundation,  tile  drain,  floor  and  chimney $  649.25 

Lumber  and  windows  639.70 

Iron  posts,  gates,  panels  and  fenders  244.80 

Hardware    53.65 

Paint  and  painting  (two  coats) 54.00 

Labor   (carpenter)    290.00 

Tar-and-gravel  roof   79-15 

Scales   .  100.00 


$2110.55 

The  cost  of  the  foundation,  tile  drain,  floor  and  chimney  seems 
rather  high  but  due  to  the  slope  of  the  land  in  this  particular  in- 
stance, the  foundation  at  the  west  end  of  the  building  is  three  feet 
higher  than  would  be  necessary  had  the  building  been  placed  on  a 
level  spot.  The  foundation  wall  at  the  east  end  of  the  building  is 
two  feet  high. 

The  cost  of  the  brick  floor  with  cement  filler  when  the  brick  is 
laid  flat,  as  in  the  pens,  is  8oc  per  square  yard  and  when  laid  on 
edge,  as  in  the  alley,  $1.12  per  square  yard.  The  4-inch  cement 
floor  in  the  pens  cost  $1.00  and  the  6-inch  cement  floor  in  the  alley 
cost  $1.35  per  square  yard.  This  is  exclusive  of  the  cinders  used 
for  the  foundation  in  both  the  brick  and  the  cement  floors. 

The  lumber  and  windows  form  a  considerable  item  of  expense 
but  this  includes  the  lumber  in  the  fence  of  the  outside  pens.  A  good 
grade  of  lumber  was  used  throughout  and  the  shingles  used  were 
the  best  on  the  maiket.  The  walls  of  the  building  are  made  of  one 
thickness  of  lumber,  viz.,  the  drop  siding  on  the  outside  of  the  stud- 
ding. It  was  found,  however,  that  for  the  coldest  weather  of  this 
locality,  the  building  is  not  quite  warm  enough. 

The  cost  of  the  scales  includes  the  work  of  installing  the  same 
by  an  expert. 

The  total  cost  of  $2110.55  does  not  take  account  of  grading, 
hauling  cinders,  nor  of  the  fence  posts. 

LOCATION  AS  TO  PASTURE 

As  said  above  a  hog  house  should  be  located  so  that  it  will  give 
access  to  pasture.  Fig.  6,  page  300,  shows  an  arrangement  by 
which  this  can  be  accomplished. 

In  the  above  mentioned  cut,  B  represents  the  hog  house,  A',  the 
small  pens  on  the  outside  adjacent  to  the  pens  on  the  inside,  and  V 
and  Z  the  boar  pens  mentioned  above.  L  represents  a  small  pasture 
that  may  be  used  for  a  boar  or  any  other  hog  or  pigs.  D  is  the  lane 


300 


BULLETIN  No.  109. 


[June. 


r 

WE 

:ST 

1 

• 
J 

J 

H 

H 

• 

1 

3 



2 
o 

I 

.     -i 

,        r-  j 

'    r 

j 

t 

i 
i 

1 

1 

1 

i              i 
i              | 

! 

j 

i.      j 

I        -" 
i 

H 

I 

L 

i 
i 

_j 

i 

i              i 

i 

-i 

i 

i 

1 

i 

j 

I 

i        -i 

i 

H 

1 

i 

? 

i    p 
i    *- 

I 
1  

—  i 

H 

1                  i 

i 

i                  i  

j 

r 
I 

—  i        '_ 

H 

LA:: 

"lA^I 

i            |_ 

B 

1 

~i            i 

r  ~ 



i            i  —  _  —  , 

1 

i            [_  

1 

j 

i      [— 

1 

H 

r 

I                                           T 

Z 

V    i 

I 

1              1 

i              i 

L             L 

D 

c  -, 

?-r 

D 

FIG.  6.  LARGE  HOG  HOUSE  AND  PASTURES. 


1906.]  HOG  HOUSES.  301 

by  which  the  hcg  house  is  approached.  E  and  F  are  lanes  leading 
from  each  side  of  the  hog  house  to  the  pastures.  H  represents  the 
pastures  for  the  hogs  that  have  access  to  the  north  side  of  the  building 
and  J  the  pastures  for  those  on  the  south  side.  This  arrangement  is 
not  absolute,  but  may  be  made  to  suit  the  location  or  the  fancy  of  the 
builder. 


This  hog  house  is  planned  to  supply  the  needs  of  the  man  who 
grows  hogs  for  the  general  market  as  well  as  of  the  man  who  pro- 
duces high  class  breeding  stock.  It  will  permit  of  producing  two  lit- 
ters a  year  from  the  same  sows.  This,  it  is  very  often  said,  cannot 
be  done  successfully.  But  the  cow,  the  mare,  and  many  other  ani- 
mals will  support  one  young  at  the  udder  and  at  the  same  time,  an- 
other within  the  uterus.  The  sow  can  produce  two  litters  a  year  and 
never  be  supporting  more  than  one  at  the  same  time.  Then,  why  not 
have  her  do  this  and  return  more  profit  to  her  owner  and  at  the  same 
time  keep  good  mature  sows  in  the  herd  rather  than  sell  them  to 
avoid  keeping  them  all  the  year  for  a  single  litter,  which  necessitates 
breeding  from  young,  immature  and  untried  gilts  ? 

The  sows  are  bred  to  farrow  in  February.  In  order  to  insure 
exercise  during  the  winter  months,  they  are  allowed  to  run  on  a 
pasture  or  in  a  barnyard  during  the  day  and  to  come  to  the  hog 
house  at  night  where  they  sleep  and  are  fed  both  night  and  morning. 
Each  sow  is  trained  to  come  to  her  own  pen,  which  can  be  done  with 
very  little  trouble.  About  a  week  before  farrowing  time,  each  sow  is 
confined  to  her  pen,  having  access,  of  course,  to  the  small  yard  on 
the  outside.  She  is  kept  here  till  the  pigs  are  from  one  to  two  weeks 
old  and  by  this  time  they  have  learned  to  know  their  own  dam  so 
that  all  can  go  out  together.  The  sows  and  their  litters  are  then  fed 
in  their  respective  pens  each  morning  and  evening  until  weaning 
time.  At  this  time  the  sows  are  taken  away  and  bred  for  the  second 
litter,  which  is  to  be  farrowed  in  August.  After  weaning,  the  pigs 
are  fed,  each  litter  in  its  respective  pen,  in  the  hog  house,  they  also 
having  access  to  pasture  during  the  day.  This  is  the  growing  period 
for  the  pigs  and  in  order  to  get  the  best  results,  it  is  necessary  to 
feed  them  under  such  conditions  that  their  feed  can  be  controlled. 
When  it  is  time  for  the  sows  to  farrow  again  they  are  returned  to 
the  hog  house  and  the  pigs  taken  out  to  a  separate  lot  and  finished 
for  market.  At  this  time  the  pigs  may  be  put  on  full  feed  and  be  fed 
in  larger  droves. 


302  BULLETIN  No.  109.  [June,  1906. 

This  process  is  repeated  twice  each  year,  but  in  winter  when  the 
weather  is  cold  a  few  pens  at  one  end  of  the  hog  house,  or  a  separate 
shed  on  the  outside,  must  be  reserved  for  the  brood  sows  and  later 
for  the  fattening  hogs. 

A  hog  house  built  and  operated  according  to  the  above  outlined 
plan  makes  it  possible  to  perform  a  maximum  amount  of  work  with 
a  minimum  amount  of  labor  and  to  put  the  pigs  on  the  market  at 
seasons  of  the  year  that  are  out  of  the  ordinary,  and  it  can  be  expected 
that  pigs  thus  marketed  will  sell  for  higher  prices  than  those  that  are 
marketed  along  with  the  general  supply. 


eP^« 


/.-^Wa^'ti^    ?/    •  *W^=<ii,  ^ 

Hfew$i#  16,-*^  atefei 


s9tSi^   B|k.'*«P 


W9P*   B|A^ 

"*    .  V-  ^^\>^  C^. 


J  aipwyEP 





